Countdown to TradeCentre: Deadline week has arrived

The NHL’s Olympic roster freeze is over and the final push towards the trade deadline is under way. TSN.ca keeps you up to date with all the latest news and rumours with the daily Countdown to TradeCentre blog.

Follow all the latest trades here and the most up to date signings here.

Deadline week is here

The trade deadline looms on Friday and the market for the moment remains quiet, but that will not be the case for much longer.

TSN Hockey Insider Darren Dreger told First Up on TSN 1050 Toronto Monday that he expects a flurry of activity over the next few days with many teams having more clarity on their deadline outlook now.

Dreger notes there are still more buyers than sellers, but sellers may be ready to commit to moving players as soon as Monday or Tuesday. He points to there being a lot of noise around the St. Louis Blues, with Justin Faulk, Colton Parayko and Robert Thomas all out there on the trade market.

He points to the Buffalo Sabres as a suitor for Faulk as the team closes on ending their 14-year playoff drought.

For a team like the Toronto Maple Leafs, three straight losses coming out of the Olympic break appears to have made the team a clear seller.

Bobby McMann, Scott Laughton, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Simon Benoit and Brandon Carlo were all listed on the updated TSN Trade Bait board last week and could be on the move this week as the Maple Leafs shift their focus to the future.

Dreger reports that as of Sunday night, the Maple Leafs had not approached Ekman-Larsson about waiving his partial no-trade clause, and suggests a deal appears unlikely as of now.

For pending unrestricted free agent McMann, Dreger reports the Maple Leafs are not willing pay his current asking price of $5 million per year on an extension, with a trade appearing to be the more likely outcome for the winger.

“I would say the door is almost closed on an extension,” Dreger said of McMann.

Dreger believes that Maple Leafs general manager Brad Treliving should be willing to consider just about anything ahead of the deadline. He notes the team cannot enter a full rebuild given their top-end talent in Auston Matthews and William Nylander, but will need to be creative to use assets going out this year to help them make the playoffs in 2027.

He noted the Maple Leafs “kicked tires” on Thomas of the Blues, but said it will be difficult for Toronto to complete a deal with St. Louis seeking a player such as Easton Cowan or Matthew Knies back.

He pointed to the Utah Mammoth as another interested suitor for Thomas, but the price remains very high for them as well.

Another clear seller is the Vancouver Canucks, with Dreger reporting that a trade to move pending UFA Evander Kane appears to be only a matter of time, while all options appear to be on the table for general manager Patrik Allvin when it comes to players deeper on the roster.

Dreger said an Elias Pettersson trade remains unlikely with few teams able to absorb his $11.6 million cap hit through 2031-32.

For a player such as Kane to move, Dreger notes the market have to be sparked by a deal, such as one of the top players on the Trade Bait board being dealt.

Trade Bait

The weekend passed without any names being removed from the Trade Bait board, where Nazem Kadri continues to sit No. 1 ahead of New York Rangers centre Vincent Trocheck and his Calgary Flames teammate Blake Coleman.

Dreger reports the Tampa Bay Lightning have checked in on Kadri, but fitting his $7 million cap hit for three more years under their cap could be a problem.

Steven Stamkos is No. 15 on the list, but he threw cold water on the report he might be willing to waive his no-move clause to leave the Nashville Predators late last week.

“I haven’t talked to [general manager Barry Trotz] at all about that,” Stamkos said, per Alex Daugherty of The Tennessean.

“Obviously there’s stuff that gets reported,” Stamkos continued. “But what I’ll say, with this group, we want to be together. I can only control what I can control, but I love being here.”

Predators centre Ryan O’Reilly is listed just ahead of Stamkos at No. 13 on the list.

Edmonton Oilers forward Andrew Mangiapane - listed just ahead of O’Reilly at No. 12 - was placed on waivers Sunday and could be claimed as a free pickup for a team on Monday. His $3.6 million cap hit through next season has proved troublesome for the Oilers to move on the trade market.

Take a look at the full list below:

The Top 50 (Last Updated on February 27)